The Market And Energy Page, Part 3, T+325 -- December 13, 2017

Politics: if I were a betting man (or woman), and I'm not, I would wager that the likelihood of the GOP tax bill passing next week just got a lot less likely: Senator John McCain is in the hospital. A non-vote is just as bad as a "no" vote at this point, I assume. Best guide to how the tax bill is going: count the number of grey hairs on Mitch McConnell's head. This is going to be fascinating to watch. At least ten Democratic senators want this bill to pass. Perhaps the two independents who caucus with the Democrats could be the lambs who vote to pass the bill if John McCain is unable to vote. 

Wow, wow, wow. I love our Honda Civic. I will never buy anything but a Civic from now on. Now this: the 2018 Honda Civic Type R, a supercar for the suburbs. The top-selling sedan on the road gets a racetrack-worthy upgrade, pumping out 306 hp and speeds of 169. Too much for the carpool lane?

But the new Honda Civic Type R—which, honest to God, Honda is giving away at $34,990 MSRP—gets all kinds of love on the streets from all kinds of people with all kinds of student loans. In the world of the attainable, this thing is a supercar.

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Something tells me long term investors in oil (particularly in oil E&P are going to be reaping some huge rewards in 2018. Just a hunch. I've had that thought for several months now, and in personal discussions with a couple of folks who know the oil industry think that may be accurate. Just a hunch.

Then, today,Nilanjan Choudhury, over at Zacks had an interesting column, highlighting four oil E&P companies that might have an earnings surprise. Two of four of the companies mentioned have interests in the North Dakota Bakken: COP and NOG. The other two: Carrizo Oil & Gas; and, BP.

S&P 500. I assume the "S&P 500" is called the "S&P 500" because it has the shares of five hundred publicly traded companies listed. Five hundred. We don't see this often:

Births: it's well-known among moms that pregnant women (as opposed to pregnant men?) are more likely to go into labor during a full moon than any other time. Now, we know that babies tend to weigh less at birth when moms live near fracking sites. I honestly cannot believe The Wall Street Journal published this study. I read the headline and part of the first paragraph ... that was all I needed. Having said that, my guess is that moms with a history of delivering 11-pound babies will gladly move near a fracking site now that this study has been released.

Taxes: want to kill EVs once and for all in a low-cost gasoline environment? Levy identical road taxes on compact EVs as on large gas-guzzling SUVs.  And invade the privacy of drivers at the same time. What could be better?

Global warming? The house of cards is starting to fall. Garbage in, garbage out. Years ago, when I first started blogging, I placed popsicle sticks in a San Pedro harbor beach and monitored the Pacific Ocean sea level for five consecutive years. The popsicle had notches every one-eighth inch. I noted that the level of the Pacific Ocean rose an eighth of an inch one year but then dropped a quarter inch the following year, although that may have been an anomaly (as NASA would say) since it was clear that a dog had been playing with the popsicle stick after I found it lying horizontally on the beach. I will continue to monitor. Parking rates at the beach are upwards of $20/day so I may have to apply for a government grant to continue the research.

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On Our Way To The First Of Many Christmas Dinners,

Holiday Social Events, New Year Eve Extravaganzas, 

Kwanzaa Celebrations, Hanukkah Menorah Lightings,

And General All-Around Fun 

The barefoot contessa did not wear her glass slippers tonight. 

She left them in the gold case under the watchful eye of her pet unicorn.

On the way to this event, Sophia, age 3, and her third Christmas, said Christmas was her favorite time of the year. I'm not sure she remembers her second Christmas, and I know she does not remember her first Christmas. I think she likes the idea of the Advent calendar and the elf on the shelf.